Hello all.
I have just returned from a very busy LM23 - 100 years of Le Mans.
Ill break this down into chunks to bore you all to death about my experience :
- Going
- Camping
- Cars
- Track
- Returning
- Videos.
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- Going
Every year a good friend of mine alternate our cars to take to LM. It was my turn but some minor issues with my knee have prevented me from driving.
We took a Tesla Model 3 dual motor long range. In summary it was fantastic! Its smooth, refined and economical in terms of KW/Mile.
I was tasked with being the range calculator and the charge station co-ordinator.
Let me tell you this ; anyone who says the infrastructure for charging isnt available in the UK, or abroad is wrong. Its perfectly fine and works.
Admittedly in the UK the infrastructure charging is expensive but its readily availalble and fast.
Heading to the Dover premier inn which was anything but premier
Spotted a great numberplate.
Charging speeds at a Shell station were great. Expensive at 85p/kwh mind
Usual ferry pics :
Charging speeds at a Shell station were great. Expensive at 85p/kwh mind
Then onto the French autoroutes which have stunning vistas
Then you get to Rouen which I am sure is fantastic in places …
Then back onto the Autoroutes and a few spots
Another charge which was tactical so we could get well away from LM after the event :
Similiar speeds to the UK but around 60% cheaper. Madness.
After around 4h we were outside the circuit and I spotted a favourite of mine :
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- Camping
Actual facts right now. No one likes camping. They are fibbing to you in a saving face way.
Its uncomforable, you are either freezing or roasting and there is no shower.
The queues in BSJ were particularly long for the showers in the AM at around 45 mins.
There were queues for loos as well which makes it fun playing the will I wont I game after eating 47 tonnes of spicy red sausages.
BBQ day in day out gets old after a few days but it is what it is!
However, on a positive there are some awesome cars to spot in the campsites and everyone is on the same page ; cars and racing
It was hot this year. 30degC + on several occasions.
BBQ was great at times. This pork was devine.
Local popped in to say hello
I so badly want one of these :
Spotted near the Porsche curves
This alarm clock is partiuclarly effective. Would recommend
- Cars.
Thats why were are here really isnt it ?
This is a snippet of some of the cool cars that I saw - excluding the racecars.
- Track
The circuit is large and some parts are a pain to get to. Never the less its always a joy to watch the WEC Cars, especially as there were more cars in the hypercar section to challenge the dominance of the Toyotas.
Somewhat ironically I have just looked at my photos and I dont have any pics of the hypercars! Only the more “affordable” stuff which is still way , way out of my price range.
Entry ticket :
Watch out , racecar coming through
#Pitlife
I was a bit dead lucky then to get invited into JWM garage.
I have never asked so many questions about aero / looms / air to air intercoolers / carbon / brakes / jacks / fueling / ecu / anything I could see in my life.
The fine gents looked relieved as I left as I attempted to soak up their entire knowledge in a 30 minute stint.
Sadly around 12hrs after the above pics took place this occured
Night fell and for me this is one of my favourite parts. Everything seems heightend - the colours , the sights and the smells of motorracing are all now 11 out of 10.
Day 2 I spotted a f40.
Ultimately someone won the race, I didnt get pics of this as I have walked 15mi over two days and my knee was failing me badly at this point.
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- Returning
The return leg of the journey is a bit of a thing as we do it in one long hit. Thats 500mi and 13hrs ish.
Not a lot to report really. The Tesla is really a superb mile mucher. Its comfier than 99% of cars I have been in and the lack of NVH is perfect when doing distance.
Only used 1 Tesla supercharger station. No faster than any other but slightly cheaper. Fastest charging award went to a stop just north of Cambridge which was batshit crazy fast.
The vessel to take us from Calais back to Dover
A relief from BBQ food
UK lane stupidity.
Nice!
Good summary, looks like a great weekend. I do wish they’d stop doing it in the middle of trackday season so maybe one day I’ll have time to go.
EV road tripping is quite satisfying if you take the time to plan it properly. The bad infrastructure usually stings when you just send it and hope to figure it out along the way…
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Videos
Rain!
Racecars
A great read, Andy. Only ever been to the Classic but with all these manufacturers fighting it out it might be time to give it ago.
Hats off for doing an writeup - ballache, often not commented on enough but perfect to soak up the atmosphere. Type 23 Elise is a personal favourite of mine, ta for the pic 